Fox News reported that Arthur Blank is paying Florida and Georgia $7.5 million each to host their college football rivalry at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to a Fox News report on the rivalry payments published October 31, 2026. The report describes the arrangement as one in which fans had hoped for a home-and-home series instead.
According to the Fox News report, fans of both schools wanted a home-and-home arrangement for the game. The report's headline summarized the outcome with the phrase "money wins," applied to college football more broadly.
The Fox News summary says that fans are unhappy with the atmosphere outside the game, stating that fans say the tailgate scene falls flat. The summary does not describe what fans expected the tailgate scene to be, and it does not say how many fans were asked for their views.
The report's headline also raises the question of whether the absence of a game in Jacksonville is a problem. The summary does not answer that question or explain what role Jacksonville has played in the rivalry.
The payment amounts are presented in the summary as $7.5 million for each school. The summary does not say how the amounts were set, over what period they would be paid, or whether Blank, Florida, or Georgia has commented on the arrangement.
Fox News is the only source for this story, so the details above reflect what that outlet reported and nothing more. No other outlet's reporting on the payments or the fan reaction was available for this account.